Although multiple software components might be able to use a single device, in some cases the device should only be controlled by one software component at any given time. For example, in some circumstances a first software component might access a network processor to exchange information using a secure network protocol while at other times a second component uses the network processor as a general encryption and/or decryption engine. As a result, before using a device a software component might attempt to make sure that no other software component is currently using that device.